Windshield wiper connector

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a windshield wiper, having a drivably supported wiper arm which on its free end carries a wiper blade, and the wiper blade is joined detachably and pivotably to the wiper arm by means of a retaining bracket, and for the sake of adapting different wiper arms and retaining brackets, the connection is made via an adapter element. The point of departure for the proposal is that the adapter element ( 28 ) can be disposed pivotably about 180°, and for the detachable and pivotable connection between the wiper arm ( 12 ) and the retaining bracket ( 22 ) a detent connection exists both between the adapter element ( 28 ) and the wiper arm ( 12 ) and between the adapter element ( 28 ) and the retaining bracket ( 22 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a windshield wiper.

Windshield wipers of a generic type are known. They are typically usedfor wiping motor vehicle windows, to assure a clear view for a vehicledriver. To that end, the windshield wipers have a wiper arm, which canbe set into a pivoting or swinging motion by a wiper drive mechanism.The wiper arm is connected by one end to a wiper shaft that is solidlyfixed to the vehicle body, while the other, free end of the wiper armcarries a wiper blade. To connect the wiper blade to the wiper arm, aretaining bracket is provided, which is detachably and pivotablyconnected to the free end of the wiper arm. The detachable arrangementmakes it possible to replace worn wiper blades, while the pivotablearrangement allows the wiping motion to be adapted to curved windows. Itis known to connect the wiper arm to the retaining bracket via anadapter element, which makes it possible to adapt the wiper arm to theretaining bracket. It is disadvantageous that this adapter element istailor-made for a particular wiper arm or retaining bracket, so that acorresponding number of different adapter elements have to be on handthat are typically shipped along with the wiper blades, and the adapterelement that fits must then be selected from them.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide awindshield wiper which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.

In keeping with these objects, one feature of present invention,resides, briefly stated, in a windshield wiper which has a drivablysupported wiper arm; a wiper blade carried on a free end of said wiperarm; a retaining bracket detachably and pivotably connecting said wiperblade with said wiper arm; an adapter element connecting said wiper armand said retaining bracket, said adapter element having a shape whichpermits a form-and force-locking connection with said wiper arm and saidretaining bracket, said adapter element is detachably arrangeable onsaid wiper arm and said retaining bracket in individual positions inwhich said adapter element is pivoted by 180° with respect to said wiperarm and having a different shape characteristic permitting adaptation todifferently shaped wiper arms.

The windshield wiper of the invention offers the advantage over theprior art that it is possible to adapt the detachable and pivotableconnection between the wiper arm and the retaining bracket by means of asingle adapter element. Because the adapter element, by means ofmounting rotated about 180°, allows different wiper arms to be connecteddetachably and pivotably to the retaining bracket, and a detentconnection exists between each adapter element and the wiper arm and theretaining bracket, it is possible in a simple way, by mounting theadapter element in a suitably rotated position, to permit simple, fastmounting of wiper blades on different wiper arms.

In a preferred feature of the invention, it is provided that the adapterelement has shape characteristics that make a form lock with a wiper armto be mounted an absolute prerequisite, so that incorrect mounting, forinstance with an adapter element oriented wrong, is impossible.

Further advantageous features of the invention will become apparent fromthe other characteristics recited in the dependent claims.

DRAWING

The invention will be described in further detail below in terms ofexemplary embodiments, in conjunction with the associated drawings.Shown are:

FIG. 1, a schematic view of the entire windshield wiper;

FIG. 2, an exploded view of a connection point between a wiper arm and aretaining bracket;

FIGS. 3-6, perspective views of an adapter element mounted on differentwiper arms; and

FIG. 7, a perspective view of an adapter element in a further exemplaryembodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a windshield wiper 10. The windshield wiper 10 has a wiperarm 12, one end 14 of which is disposed on a wiper shaft 16 in a mannersecured against relative rotation. The other, free end 18 of the wiperarm 12 carries a wiper blade 20. The wiper blade 20 is retained by aretaining bracket 22, which via a fastening part 24 is connectabledetachably and pivotably to the end 18 of the wiper arm 12. Thepivotable connection is made via a pivot pin 26, which extendsapproximately at right angles to the wiper shaft 16.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the connection region between thefastening part 24 of the retaining bracket 22 and the end 18 of thewiper arm 12. The fastening is effected via an adapter element 28. Theadapter element 28 has a through opening 30 that is open at theperiphery and extends axially in the direction of the pivot pin 26. Thethrough opening 30 is disposed approximately centrally in the adapterelement 28. For forming a slot 32, a longitudinal face 34 has a shoulder36, whose face 38 extending radially to the through opening 30 opens outinto a jacket face of the through opening 30. Because of the embodimentof the shoulder 36, the adapter element 28 has a first portion 40 with aheight h₁ and a second portion 42 with a height h₂. On the longitudinalface 44 opposite the longitudinal face 34, a detent tongue 46 is formed.A further detent tongue 48 (FIG. 4; not visible in FIG. 2) is embodiedon the longitudinal face 34 in the region of the portion 40 of theadapter element 28. The end faces 50 and 52 joining together therespective longitudinal faces 34 and 44 each merge via a radius with thelongitudinal faces 34 and 44; the radius of the end face 50 isdetermined by the height h₁, and the radius of the end face 52 isdetermined by the height h₂.

The end 18 of the wiper arm 12 forms a hook 54, and a portion 56extending parallel to the end 18 has a spacing h. The portion 56 mergesvia an inner jacket face 58 with the end 18; the jacket face 58 extendsat a radius defined by the height h. A peripheral opening 62, pointingin the direction of a free space 60 formed between the end 18 and theportion 56, is embodied on the portion 56.

The retaining bracket 22 has a U-shaped profile—when viewed in crosssection—between whose legs 64 and 66 the pivot pin 26 extends. In theregion of the pivot pin 26, there is a recess 68 whose length is greaterthan a length of the adapter element 28.

For mounting the wiper arm 12 together with the retaining bracket 22,the adapter element 28 is first snapped in detent fashion onto the pivotpin 26. To that end, a width of the slot 32 toward the through opening30 is embodied such that a locking connection results. A diameter of thethrough opening 30 is substantially equivalent to a diameter of thepivot pin 26, so that the adapter element 28 is rotatably supported onthe pivot pin 26. As a result, on the one hand the pivotable connectionbetween the wiper arm 12 and the retaining bracket 22 is made possible,and on the other—as will be described in further detail in conjunctionwith the subsequent drawings—it is possible to position the adapterelement 28 in different ways. The end 18 of the wiper arm 12 is slippedonto the mounted adapter element 28; depending on the given height h,either the portion 40 or the portion 42 of the adapter element 28 isintroduced into the free space 60 of the end 18 of the wiper arm 12.Thrusting the adapter element 28 into the free space 60 causes eitherthe detent tongue 46 or the detent tongue 48, depending on the positionof the adapter element 28, to reach the region of the detent opening 62,so that a form- and force-locking connection is brought about betweenthe adapter element 28 and the wiper arm 12.

Various possibilities for the detent connection between the adapterelement 28 and the wiper arm 12 are shown in FIGS. 3-6. Elementsidentical to those of FIG. 2 are provided with the same referencenumerals and will not be described again. For the sake of simplicity,the retaining bracket 22 has not been shown.

In the view shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the height h at thewiper arm 12 is equivalent to the height h₁ of the portion 40 of theadapter element 28. The adapter element 28 is thrust with its portion 40into the free space 60, until a form lock exists between the end face 50and the jacket face 58. At the same time, the detent connection is madebetween the detent protrusion 48 and the detent opening 62 (not visiblein FIG. 3), so that a form- and force-locking connection exists betweenthe adapter element 28 and the wiper arm 12.

In the variant embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the hook 54 of the wiper arm12 is embodied such that the height h of the free space 60 is equivalentto the height h₂ of the portion 42 of the adapter element 28. In orderto achieve a form- and force-locking connection between the wiper arm 12and the adapter element 28 here as well, the adapter element 28 needmerely be rotated 180° about the pivot pin 26, so that the portion ofthe adapter element 28 engages the free space 60. The force-lockingconnection is made via a detent connection between the detent protrusion46 and the detent opening 62. The detent protrusion 48, partly visiblein the view of FIG. 4, can additionally act to support the end 18 of thewiper arm 12.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, further variant embodiments are shown, which pertainto different designs of the hook 54 of the wiper arm 12. The portions 58can for instance have different lengths, so that the portion 40 or theportion 42 of the adapter element 28 either only partly fills up thefree space 60, as shown in FIG. 5, or only partly engages the inside ofthe free space 60, as shown in FIG. 6. The detent openings 62 areembodied to suit the length of the portions 56 of the hooks 54, so thatthe force-lock between the adapter element 28 and the wiper arm 12remains assured by the detent connection.

It is readily apparent from the illustrations in FIGS. 2-6 that by meansof a single adapter element 28, differently embodied wiper arms 12, andin particular with differently embodied hooks 54, can be connected tothe retaining bracket 22.

In FIG. 7, the adapter element 28 is shown in a further exemplaryembodiment. Identical elements to those of the preceding drawing figuresare again provided with the same reference numerals and are notdescribed again. For the force-locking connection of the adapter element28 to the wiper arm 12, the adapter element 28 has clamping hooks 70.The clamping hooks 70 extend outward past the end faces 50 and 52 of theadapter element 28 and form bearing faces 70 and 72, respectively, thatextend parallel to the end faces 50 and 52 and in particular coaxiallyto the end faces 50 and 52 that extend at a radius. As a result, a gap74 is formed between the end face 50 and the bearing face 70, or the endface 52 and the bearing face 72; its curvature corresponds to thecurvature of the hook 54 of the wiper arm 12. The wiper arm 12 is thrustwith its hook 54 laterally into the gap 74, thereby creating a form andforce lock between the adapter element 28 and the wiper arm 12.

What is claimed is:
 1. A windshield wiper, comprising a drivablysupported wiper arm; a wiper blade carried on a free end of said wiperarm; a retaining bracket detachably and pivotably connecting said wiperblade with said wiper arm; an adapter element connecting said wiper armand said retaining bracket, said adapter element having a shape whichpermits a form-and force-locking connection with said wiper arm and saidretaining bracket, said adapter element being detachably arrangeable onsaid wiper arm and said retaining bracket in individual positions inwhich said adapter element is pivoted by 180° with respect to said wiperarm and having a different shape characteristic permitting adaptation todifferently shaped wiper arms, said adapter element having alongitudinal face provided with a shoulder which forms in said adapterelement portions with different heights, said portions having end facesextending at a radius, which depending on a height of a free space ofsaid hook forms a form lock with a jacket space of said hook.
 2. Awindshield wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said retaining brackethas a pivot pin, said adapter element being rotatably supported on saidpivot pin of said retaining bracket.
 3. A windshield wiper as defined inclaim 2, wherein said adapter element has a through opening which isopen in its periphery so that said adapter element can be snapped bysaid through opening onto said pivot pin in detent fashion.
 4. Awindshield wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said wiper arm has ahook which is in a form-locking connection with said adapter elementthrough said portions.
 5. A windshield wiper as defined in claim 1,wherein said wiper arm has a detent opening, said adapter element havinga plurality of longitudinal faces each provided at least one detentprotrusion snappable in detent fashion into said detent opening of saidwiper arm, depending on a disposition of said adapter element.
 6. Awindshield wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said adapter element hasclamping hooks providing said form-and force-locking connection saidwiper arm.
 7. A windshield wiper as defined in claim 1; and furthercomprising a detent connection both between said adaptor element andsaid wiper arm and between said adaptor element and said retainingbracket allowing a detachable and pivotable connection between saidwiper arm and said retaining bracket.